Documentary Day

Three documentaries began my day. How Much Does your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? is an examination of the creative process through the life and work of Norman Foster. Best known for “the Gherkin” [and it’s Barcelona Torre twin] and the spectacular Millau Viaduct, Foster’s work has redefined modernism with new efforts toward “Green” building and massive, carbon-neutral projects. Filmed with an almost sensual reverence to his design we are given the opportunity to see what Foster saw in his efforts. This prodigious genius doesn’t slow down for anything including cancer and a heart attack. He still has the energy to cycle daily and participates in a grueling ski marathon every year. The title is from a question his great friend Buckminster Fuller posed; that simple, almost childish inquiry was Foster’s epiphany. My second film was The Sons of Tennessee Williams. In a series of interviews with several Mardi Gras elders the once secret and now embraced Gay Mardi Gras Krewes are revealed over their 5 decades of struggle. The director informed us before the film that he edited for laughs and there are plenty but the individual stories are of courage and perseverance. The costumes, oh the costumes! The third documentary was just added to my itinerary because of the buzz I overheard while waiting in line. Everyone was gushing over Louder Than a Bomb. Many of you know that I am not a fan of poetry. Well I am now and enthusiastically so, at least the style displayed in this wonderful, joyous and thought-provoking film. The filmmakers chose the world’s largest poetry slam held yearly in Chicago. It only features local high schools but the participation is monumental. The young people featured not only write but also perform their works. I do mean perform; they verge on theatre. This is a story of lives transformed and I am one. My last film of the day was a confusing and phantasmagorical journey form Transylvania to Germany and on to Liverpool and a gentlemen’s club which provides sex slaves trained to portray great literary characters. You will be reminded of Terry Gilliam’s work with splashes of Fellini. It is inventive on many levels but special effects can’t hide the lack a cohesive narrative. Bibliotheque Pascal was produced in Hungary and spoken in Rumanian, English and Hungarian.